A Love Like This
by SFlove
Summary: Logan broke Rory's heart during his stay in London. A few years later, he wants her back only to find that it might be too late. Rogan, Future Fic.
1. The Fight

Rory sat outside the tiny cafe in the North Beach district of San Francisco. The May afternoon was warm and breezy. She blew on her coffee and slowly sipped it. She felt the warm sensation of the liquid sliding down her throat as she started to relax. Rory was taking a break from her usual job. She had to fly out to San Francisco for two weeks as a request from her boss to help out a paper that was just starting to become more popular. Her job description never really called for her to do this kind of work. However, she willingly took the request. It was better than having to face her problems at home in New York City.

She hadn't spoken to her mom since that day that Lorelai decided to voice her opinions about John, her now fiance.

_Lorelai had to say it. She couldn't take it anymore. _

_"Hey Rory? You know how we have that whole mother-daughter freakishly connected bond? _

_"Yea?" Rory responded, not looking up from the newspaper article she was reading on her mother's kitchen table. _

_"Well I've been thinking lately and I just thought," Lorelai hesitated._

_Rory's interest was now peaked. It wasn't often that Lorelai would hesitate like this. _

_"You thought what mom?" Rory put down her paper, sensing that this was going to be an important conversation._

_Lorelai took a deep breath and let out the words she had been waiting to say to Rory for so long all in one breath, "You could do a lot better than John. Don't get me wrong; he's handsome and has a respectable job and all but to tell you the truth, I've always regarded him as dull, too severe with a serious mouth, and not to mention he's always got a stick up his ass."_

_Rory looked at her mother like she had just grown another head._

_"Rory please just hear me out. I think you need to be with someone more fun loving. Someone who understands the way we are and the way we banter. Someone who will let you spend some girl time with your mom," Lorelai stated her final statement._

_Immediately, Rory pounced on what Lorelai just said, "So that's what it really is isn't it? You're just pissed because I don't spend every god-damned free time I have with you!"_

_"Rory no! You know that's not it! I love you too much to let you be with this guy. Can't you see? It's like he's sapping all the fun-loving and quirky traits you have. You're not who you used to be."_

_"Gee sorry for growing a bit more mature," Rory said sarcastically._

_"That's not it either!"_

_"Then what is it mother?"_

_"See it's stuff like that; calling me mother in such a serious tone. You're always working. When was the last time you read a book just for enjoyment? When was the last time you talked to your best friend Lane who by the way is pregnant now. You've taken up smoking too!"_

_"Ok stop it! Now you're just exaggerating. I have a career and I have a boyfriend who understands that."_

_Lorelai snorted, "Yea right. He probably just wants to make you a trophy wife in the future."_

_"That's enough. First of all why are you just starting to tell me these things about John and how you think my behavior has been changing? We've been dating for almost 2 years. And second, don't even say anything about the right guys for me. I've found a guy that can make me focus and doesn't let me get off track with my goal as a correspondent. See mom, I'm not like you. I know how to keep the men in my life," Rory fumed._

_Lorelai was shocked into silence. "You're not the Rory that grew up in Stars Hollow anymore or the one that loved life and took chances in college" Lorelai sighed sadly._

_"No mom. I haven't been that Rory since I graduated from Yale. Since--" Rory started to say but choked on the tears that she felt where about to fall._

_The kitchen became silent as Rory and Lorelai started processing the words that were exchanged between mother and daughter. It was then that Rory decided to leave. She turned around and started for her old bedroom. Lorelai turned and headed upstairs to her bedroom. This weekend was meant to be a relaxing thing. John was out of town on business in Tokyo. Before this weekend, Lorelai and Rory hadn't seen each other for at least 3 months. Between work and having to attend various charity events and social gatherings, Rory hadn't been able to take any time off to see her mom. Lorelai and Rory both thought bitterly "What a waste of a weekend." _

_Rory quickly packed her bag and left through the front door and out to her convertible Mercedes which was a present from her grandparents after she graduated from Yale. Rory sat back for a moment in her car. She regained her composure and started to back out. With one last quick glance, she sped off, away from her childhood home and away from her best friend. _

_She hadn't thought of him in a while. There used to be countless days and nights that she couldn't stop thinking about him. _

_'Dammit!' Rory banged on her steering wheel in frustration. "Damn him," she quietly whispered to herself as tears slowly made tracks down her cheeks. _

Rory gazed blankly across the street as she relived that day in Stars Hollow. She blinked rapidly to get the thoughts that were pressing in her mind out. She breathed a quick sigh of frustration. 'What the hell is going on with my life?' She thought as she got up quickly from her seat with her coffee cup in her hand. She hadn't been looking when she quickly stood up, not realizing that she was about to collide into someone else. Funny how these things happen. Fate has a very warped sense of humor.


	2. Getting Reacquainted

The collision happened. Rory watched as her coffee cup, which was half full, fell to the ground. The lid popped open and splashed her feet as well as a certain pair of pants next to her.

"Oh my god! I am so incredibly sor--" Rory began but only stopped from shock when she met the eyes of a tall and handsome brunette.

"Well I'll be. If it isn't Rory Gilmore. How are you reporter girl?" the Australian said with a certain amount of amazement, shock, and glee.

"Holy shit. Finn," Rory whispered helplessly.

Finn suddenly burst out in laughter, the spilled coffee forgotten, "Come here, love! Is that how you say hello to your dear old friend after years of separation; with obscenities and profanities?"

Rory got over her initial shock and jumped into his waiting arms. "Finn, it's been way too long."

"Oh my dearest Gilmore," Finn chuckled, letting her down from his tight embrace. "You're right; it's been way too long. What's say you we chat it up a bit in this cafe. From the looks of it you were about to leave. It just so happens that this is my favorite solace besides the bars I tend to frequent."

"Oh I think I can spare a few minutes with my favorite Australian," Rory smiled. "So I've missed you."

"Well of course you have love. I have that effect on women," Finn winked and gave another laugh.

"Hmm I see the ego hasn't left. I'm very glad of that."

"Yes well many things have not left me like drinking and lovely ladies."

"Finn I think perhaps hell will have frozen over and I'd have given up coffee if that ever happened," Rory said with a chuckle.

"So, what has been going on in your life after Yale Gilmore? And explain to me why you didn't bother to keep in contact after--" Finn didn't know how to put it lightly. Rory saw a bit of hurt in his eyes after that statement.

"Okay. How about if we just dive into it and not avoid the very large white elephant sitting beside us?"

"Deal"

"Oh boy. Where do I start?" Rory asked helplessly yet again.

"Well how about we start with why you didn't keep in contact with Colin, Steph, and I after you graduated from Yale?"

"I kept in contact with Steph," Rory revealed.

"Huh. She never bothered to tell us that tidbit," Finn said with a bit of resentment.

"I asked her not to tell you guys. And before you give me that look, I had my reasons which I'm not willing to divulge at the moment." Rory paused for a minute to gage Finn's reaction before delving back into the conversation. "Finn you have to understand. I love you guys like the brothers and sister I never had growing up. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you guys. But after what happened between Logan and I...I felt like I needed to distance myself far away from everything that had anything to do with him. Unfortunately, I made a stupid decision in staying away from you and Colin. Steph...well I couldn't stay away from her. First of all, she wouldn't let me. Second of all, I guess she's my re-incarnated twin.

At this, Finn gave Rory a quick smile of encouragement. For three years, he had wanted to know the full story of what happened between she and Logan after Yale. All he really knew was that Logan had to leave for London for a year. It was assumed that a long distance relationship between he and Rory was too hard and caused too much stress on their relationship when they broke up after Logan was in London for about 6 months. However, when Rory stopped hanging out with the rest of them and moved to New York City after she graduated, Finn immediately thought she had simply dropped them. It wasn't until he saw a certain announcement in the paper that things began to fall into place.

"So, this is the whole story. As you all know Logan and I tried the long distance relationship thing. Obviously it didn't work out so well. Over the course of my last year at Yale, Logan started being a bit more distant during our phone calls. At first I thought 'Well he's probably just tired from the work he has to do.' Those phone calls became few and far between. You also already know we broke up after Winter quarter. It didn't work out for us with him being so far away and me still studying at Yale," Rory began to feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Finn reached over and squeezed Rory's hand to encourage her.

"A few months after we broke up, he had called me and left me a voice message on my phone when I was too busy to pick up. Imagine my surprise when he tells me that he is getting engaged to one Vanessa Lion and he wanted to let me know first before I read it in the papers," Rory's tears freely started to fall. "Shortly after, I saw the engagement in a newspaper. Finn, I didn't know what to think. I thought, and still think, that he cheated on me. That he found someone else and stopped loving me," Rory whispered the last bit. There was a long pause and Rory let out a bitter chuckle. "Well I guess what's done is done. We've moved on. I'm here in San Francisco for about two weeks on business."

Finn saw the myriad of emotions in Rory's eyes: sadness, grief, anger, and resentment. He didn't know what to say. It was obvious that Rory and Logan had been in love. Initially, he, Colin, and Steph took Rory out for nights of drinking and wallowing and trying to help her get over Logan. Whenever one of them would try to call Logan about the breakup, Logan would say he was busy and couldn't talk. They all found out later why he was avoiding talking about Rory when the news of the engagement appeared.

All Finn and Colin really knew was that Rory and Logan broke up, a few months later Logan was engaged, and 4 months after that he got married with him and Collin being co-groomsmen and no Rory Gilmore to be found. The wedding had been a beautiful summer wedding at Martha's Vineyard with the usual society folks present and some big names here and there. He remembered seeing the Gilmore's but no Rory. Of course, he really hadn't expected her to be there.

Rory and Logan's relationship had seemed like one of the great romances of the century. When it had ended, Logan had not been willing to talk about it. Whenever the subject of Rory Gilmore was brought up, he would look away or try to change the subject. After a while, everyone had decided that avoiding that particular topic was the best way to go. He and the rest of their friends had desperately wanted to know what exactly went wrong but Logan wouldn't budge. Best friends or not, he simply wouldn't tell them.

"I guess while I'm at it and pouring my heart out, I should give you the reason as to why I didn't want either you or Collin knowing I kept in contact with Steph," Rory braced herself for her revelation to Finn while putting on a blank face. "I told Steph that I was pregnant. Finn, I had twins, a boy and a girl, and I lost them," one more tear slid down Rory's cheek before she angrily brushed it off.


	3. I Actually Kept a Secret

_Thanks for all of the reviews guys! It really made my day to see that so many people have responded with enthusiasm to this story. Anyways here's the next chapter and I actually already have a few lined up. I've just decided to be mean and make you guys wait…no actually I just keep forgetting to upload but I'll remember better next time. _

Finn sat back in shock. For once, he was completely speechless. Across from him sat a girl that had been broken harder than he could have ever imagined.

"Shocking I know. But please Finn, I don't want sympathy. I just want to explain myself. I'm very sorry that I kept everything from you and Collin but coming out with me being pregnant and getting pity from it wasn't what I wanted. I had a miscarriage and that was that. Was I sad? Devastated actually. I would've kept them and raised them without Logan," tears kept running down Rory's cheeks.

Finn took both of Rory's hands in his and kissed them, "Love, I just wish you'd have told us. I would've beaten Logan into a pulp had I known. I would've even hired someone to castrate him for you." At this Rory smiled.

"I didn't want you to have to choose between your best friend and his ex-girlfriend"

"Rory you became much more than Logan's girlfriend in our circle. I hope you know that we all love you very much"

'Apparently not Logan,' Rory thought sadly.

She gave him a watery smile and shook her head. She brushed away her tears. "So let's talk about you for a minute. What have you been doing these past years?"

"Well I've taken over for my father as was expected of me," Finn rolled his eyes playfully. "Apparently I've got a knack for advertising. I moved out here in San Francisco shortly after the summer you graduated. I took to the advertising world like a hurricane. You know the concept of the iPod advertisements was my idea," Finn said with a wide grin. "Of course, I've been dating around, not quite ready to settle down yet. I am a bachelor at heart." Finn said, hoping to make Rory smile.

Rory laughed, a sound Finn had missed for the past few years.

"And how about Colin? What is he up to?"

"Well believe it or not Colin is living here in San Francisco also owning up to his birth right. He is now the CFO of his father's companies. We live about a block away from each other. We found out that we can't live together. We all know how strict he can be about keeping a tidy apartment and as you know, that isn't my style. He is also planning on moving to New York."

Rory smiled at this. For as long as she had known Colin, he always liked having a spotless dorm room or in this case, an apartment.

"And what about Steph? Unfortunately she and I haven't kept in contact for the better part of 2 years."

Finn gave Rory a smirk that hid a secret. "Well then, I'll have you know that Stephanie Schwab is now Stephanie Shwab-McCrae."

Rory gave a gasp of surprise and started to laugh, "Of course. Those two have been dancing around each other for the longest time. It's about time they got married. Any kids?"

"She is now a very pregnant Stephanie. She's due in July."

"Wow. I've missed so much," Rory gave a sigh.

"Darling, now that fate has brought us together once again, I am not letting you leave me. You must give me your contact information immediately." Rory began writing her phone numbers and address down on a piece of napkin. "So you live in New York do you? I'll have you know that I may be moving there as well as Colin and Steph. I've got a new office there and I've left my heart in New York City," Finn said wistfully. He hadn't bothered to mention that a certain blond Huntzberger had also moved back to the States a while ago and currently residing in New York City also. Coincidence can be a bitch sometimes.

Finn and Rory stayed a few minutes longer until they realized the sun had already set and Rory regrettably had a dinner meeting with the chief editor of the newspaper she was sent to deal with.

"Tell you what. This weekend why don't we make plans to meet up with Colin and Steph and we can have some much needed bonding over a barbi and of course drinks at my bachelor pad?" Finn said with a pout to try and convince her.

Rory didn't need much convincing, "Well alright if you're going to pout like that. I'd love to see you guys." She recorded his number on her cell phone. They stood up and gave each other big hugs and promised to see each other that weekend. Rory walked down the block to her hotel to get ready. She pulled out a much needed cigarette. On her way there she couldn't help but put on a sad smile. She was grateful to have bumped into Finn. She also purposefully didn't ask how Logan was doing. She couldn't have cared less.

Finn walked in the opposite direction heading for his car parked on the street. He quickly got his cell phone out and speed dialed Colin's number. Finn waited for a couple of rings before Colin picked up the phone "Hey man what's up?"

"Mate! You will never guess who I just had the pleasure of bumping into! I'll give you a hint: brunette with gorgeous blue eyes and legs a mile long," Finn smirked. He couldn't deny that Rory Gilmore was as gorgeous as ever.

"Um Cheryl? No wait she had green eyes. Oh how about Lisa. Oh no she had red hair but she did have that hot bod--ow!"

Finn heard the commotion on the other end of the line. Guessing from the words that were being exchanged Stephanie had just hit Colin upside the head. 'See I knew it! You think I'm fat!' 'Oh honey I never said that.'

"Colin! Pay attention! Although I just remembered Lisa. Gorgeous but quite temperamental."

"Um how about crazy? No not you honey!" Colin quickly said to Stephanie as she was about to launch into another beating.

"Alright maybe just a bit I don't know what I was thin--oh shut up! This is very important stop distracting me!" Finn yelled in frustration. "I just ran into Rory Gilmore!"

Crickets on the other side.

"Colin mate? You still there?"

"Oh. My. God," that was all Colin could say. Stephanie looked at him and immediately knew it was important.

"What is it? Tell me!" Stephanie by now had jumped onto Colin's lap trying to pry away the phone from Colin's hand. "Alright Finney, you've just shocked my husband into silence. What's up?"

"Rory Gimore is up. I just ran into her and we chatted up a bit for hours it seems. By the way, care to tell me why you didn't bother to tell us that she got pregnant?" Finn couldn't help but add that bit.

Stephanie became as shocked as Colin. It took her a while to process the bomb that Finn just dropped. Colin came back from his shock and quickly grabbed the phone from Stephanie.

"When, Where, How? Spill"

"About an hour or so ago. At Cafe Segafredo. She ran into me and spilt a bit of coffee on my shoes and trousers. I was making my way to the cafe to get some coffee when she stood up from her seat outside, bumped into me, and subsequently spilled coffee on me."

"My god. Rory Gilmore is back in our lives," Colin said before Steph took hold of the phone again.

"Finn please tell me you were smart enough to invite her to have dinner with us or something. Please tell me you got her contact information," Stephanie said in a rush.

"Love I am way ahead of you. We're having a barbecue at my place this Saturday."

"Thank God. Oh and Finn, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys but I couldn't. I swore on mine and Rory's friendship, not to mention on my collection of imported shoes from Italy, that I wouldn't say a word."

At this Colin cut in, "Tell us what?"

"Oh shit."

Finn quickly added to Stephanie, "Steph it's alright. Rory told me everything. Now I suggest that you fill your husband in. I've got to go. I'll call you two later."

"Alright Finney. And thanks for bumping into her," Steph smiled into the phone.

"Tell us what?" Colin was getting frustrated that he was out of the loop. Stephanie just rolled her eyes and started explaining from the very beginning. After about 20 minutes of explaining everything, Colin was left stunned for the second time that night. Finally, he declared, "I'm going to kill him!" All he could see was red right now and just wanted to be able to hit Logan. "I think it's time I got some answers from my _best _friend."

"This is exactly why Rory didn't want me to tell you guys. She didn't want you to have to choose."

"What he did was about as jackass-like as you can get. He never deserved her!"

"While I agree, remember that we never did get any answers from him."

"It's time he started talking."

"Colin not right now. We just found out Rory is back. Let's just let everything sink in before we start getting those answers okay?"

Colin kissed his wife on the lips, "Fine. But it doesn't mean that I won't give Logan an earful sometime soon."

"Soon, but not now. Oh and Colin? Don't you dare mention Rory's pregnancy to him."


	4. Memories That Keep Me Awake

Okay…so I'll try to update everyday seeing as how I've been updating really short chapters (sorry about that). So here's the next chapter and, finally, some Logan.

On the other side of the continent, Logan was just turning into bed early. He had had an especially long day what with the ever hectic job of CEO of Huntzberger Publishing. He had recently acquired a newspaper and was now in the process of working out the details in the contract. 'Not to mention working out other contracts.' Logan thought bitterly. 'And here I thought divorce would be easy.' It was no surprise that his loveless marriage had failed. All he had to show for was the empty half of the king sized bed, a lonely apartment in Manhattan, a soon to be ex-wife moving back to London, and him drowning in regrets. Oh the regrets he's had, the biggest one being the dumbass of the century by breaking up with the gorgeous Rory Gilmore. Why did he have to follow society's expectations of him? 'Because I'm a coward.'

Logan turned on his side as he looked out of the window and watched the lights of the city flicker on and off. The moon shined brightly into his bedroom letting in a pool of light. It was as if the universe was taunting him and not letting him get any sleep tonight. It was letting him know that he made a huge mistake, one that he will never be able to get over. Logan groaned. He got up and went to pour himself a glass of milk. 'Bad idea,' Logan thought as he relived one of the nights he will remember forever.

_Logan was having a fitful night's sleep. He unfortunately decided to answer one of his father's phone calls earlier that night. He hated the talks he got from his father. This time around wasn't any different from the rest. _

_"You're throwing away your future. You have so many opportunities at your feet. Take them!" Mitchum had yelled over the phone._

_Logan responded with just as much fire, "What opportunities?"_

_Logan abruptly sat up from a dream that he was literally drowning in a sea of newspapers with other suckers like himself. They were all trapped in the expectations placed on them by their society and by their families. _

_Rory was sleeping soundly beside him when she felt the bed suddenly shake and her boyfriend gasping for breath, beads of sweat running down the side of his face. Immediately, she got concerned, "Hey, what's wrong?" She placed a comforting hand on the back of Logan's neck. He turned towards her as if in a daze. _

_"Rory?" A pause. "I just had a nightmare." _

_This wasn't the first time this occurred. Rory was witness to nightmares Logan always had after he had a long talk with Mitchum. _

_"Hold on I'll be right back." Rory knew what to do in these situations. Usually she'd get coffee to soothe him but sometimes she liked to give him milk like Lorelai used to do when Rory was younger and woke from a nightmare. Rory made her way to the kitchen in their apartment and got a glass of milk from the fridge. She returned moments later to find Logan still sitting up and gazing blankly out their window. "Here, drink this."_

_Logan took gulp fulls of milk. He had gotten used to this: getting a glass-full of milk after a nightmare. After finishing the glass and putting it on their bedside table, Logan turned to find Rory looking at him, her face full of concern. She had a towel in hand wiping his back which was covered in a fine layer of sweat. He cupped her face in between his hands and kissed her fully on the lips. He then rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes while starting to relax. Rory laid back down and Logan automatically cuddled close to her, his head resting in between her neck and shoulder and lying half on top of her with his arms wrapped securely around her waist. With one hand, Rory stroked his hair while the other ran up and down his back. She was familiar with nights like these. Logan was just on the border of sleep when he said, "I love you Rory." While it wasn't the first time he had said it, he always said it with as much feeling as if it was the first time._

_"I love you too Logan."_

It was memories like that which kept Logan up all night nowadays. It was memories like that that constantly reminded him of what he had let go. He couldn't help but think of her everyday. He always wondered how she was doing. He always read her newspaper articles. Other than that however, he had no idea how she was doing, if she had a boyfriend, or worse yet, her own family. He would've maybe asked Stephanie, knowing that out of everyone in their old circle of friends, it would've been Stephanie that Rory would've kept in contact with. However, all these years, he never did tell his friends why he did what he did. It shouldn't have been a big secret. They should know that being in high society, they were expected to live up to their families' expectations. Logan simply didn't want to discuss it for fear of being kept reminded of what a coward he became. He wasn't about to hash out the past anytime soon.

Logan went outside on the balcony from his bedroom. It was moments like these that he wished Rory Gilmore was still encircled in his arms, watching the city lights with him. After a few more moments, Logan went back in to face another sleepless night.


	5. Drunken Declarations

Rory woke up that Saturday morning feeling lighter and happier than she had been recently. The past week went by quickly as she worked at the San Francisco office. She wrote an article here and there for them, nothing too big or significant. Nonetheless, it was a nice reprieve from the usual New York Times hectic bustle. Rory stretched some more and finally got up and went to take a shower. Finn had said to arrive at his apartment around noon for lunch which will probably carry over for dinner. Rory began to look at her clothes in her suitcase and decided on a white sun dress she recently bought in San Francisco. After applying on light makeup, she made her way to the nearest bakery and bought dessert to bring with her.

She arrived at Finn's apartment shortly after and rang the bell.

Finn answered the intercom sounding distracted, "Hullo you had better be a gorgeous woman or else you're wasting your time."

Rory chuckled lightly, "Finn it's me, your favorite reporter."

"Oh come on in love, the door will be open," Finn buzzed her upstairs and left his door unlocked.

Rory entered the apartment and smiled at the decor. Finn obviously had a love for beer around the world. Bottles graced various shelves and counters. "Finn I love the beer bottles. I see you've got quite the palette for beer."

"Oh yes of course. Call my decor a reminder of my favorite past time," Finn smirked at Rory then went back to tossing salad. "Please tell me you've acquired a taste for things that are green."

Rory wrinkled her nose and laughed, "I'm afraid I still can't touch that stuff."

"Glad to know some things really don't change," Finn said. "I see you are carrying cheesecake...mmm my favorite. Just settle it down on the dining table there love."

Rory did as she was instructed and took a big whiff of the aroma coming out of the kitchen, "Something smells really good."

"That would be the roasted potatoes and bread in the oven. The barbi is almost ready. I'm just waiting for Colin and Steph to get here."

"My my, you're quite the cook."

"Don't jinx me. Wait until you taste the food before you make declarations like that. However, I guarantee that when you eat you'll declare your undying love for me and my culinary skills."

Rory laughed again. It really did feel good to be able to hang out with old friends. She didn't realize that seeing Finn and probably Colin and Steph will cure her current blues.

As if on cue, the door to the apartment opened and out came a high pitched squeal from the very pregnant Stephanie. "Rory Gilmore! Come here and give me a hug!" Before Rory could go to her, Stephanie waddled the few steps and grabbed her to give her a big squeeze.

Finn and Colin started laughing as Rory pantomimed strangled motions behind Steph's back. "Steph, honey, I think Rory has to breathe, not to mention, it's my turn for a hug!"

Stephanie finally let go of Rory and Rory walked over to Colin to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Gilmore, it's been too long," Colin smiled warmly and whispered by her ear, "Oh by the way, you don't have to explain anything to me. I know."

Rory looked at him surprised but then grateful that she didn't have to explain herself a second time.

"Well now I feel all left out!" Finn whined as he came around from the kitchen and gave each of them a hug and cooed at Stephanie's stomach.

"Hello there little one. How are you treating your mum today? Not too badly I hope. She gets enough grief from your Dad," at this, Colin smacked Finn on the head.

"Oy mate! Don't kill the cook. I believe the apron says 'Kiss me, I'm Australian."

Rory laughed, enjoying the banter. This really was what she needed. "Hey how did you guys get in here? I didn't hear a buzz," Rory asked curiously.

"Oh Colin has a key just in case I need to be out of town and takes care of the mail or...," Finn had a devilish grin on his face, "He crashes here when the missus is giving him a hard time and brings one of his mistresses." This earned Finn a slap from both Stephanie and Colin.

Rory made her way to Stephanie as she gently patted her friends stomach. "Everyone's getting pregnant. Lane is also pregnant," Rory flinched a little as she realized she hadn't talked to Lane in so long that she didn't know until Lorelai told her. She also couldn't help but wonder if she would have been next had she and Logan stayed together. The flinch didn't go by unnoticed by Stephanie but she decided that now probably wouldn't be a good time to ask her.

Finn clapped his hands together, "Well I think it's just about time I fire up the barbi. Colin, mate, would you like to see how a real cook handles a barbecue?"

"Hey! For your information I was a little distracted with the soccer game when I burned those steaks."

"No mate you just don't know how to cook," Finn said as he made his way out onto his balcony with a plate of meat. Colin followed him out still bickering. Stephanie and Rory watched the two best friends fight over how to cook meat. They both shook their heads and sat down on one of Finn's couches.

"Okay. We need to get caught up. When was the last time we had a good heart to hea--" Stephanie broke off as she noticed a something glinting on Rory's ring finger. Her eyes bugged out and she immediately grabbed Rory's hand. "Oh my God! What--who--Rory Gilmore you better start explaining."

Rory pulled back her hand and silenced Stephanie, "Steph keep it down a little. I want those two to figure it out for themselves. I wanted to see how long you guys would notice."

"Well I certainly noticed. Look at the size of that thing! Who's the lucky guy?"

"His name's John Astor."

"Wait as in the blue-blooded Astors? The real estate tycoons?"

"Yes I suposed so. Anyways, as you probably already know he's in real estate. I met him a year after I graduated from Yale during a gala the New York Times threw which I had to go to not only because I work there but the Gilmore's were also invited. Anyways we met, we dated, 2 years later we're engaged. Just recently actually."

"How come I never saw anything in the papers about your announcement?" Stephanie asked. She knew an engagement like this would make it in the paper. She also knew for a fact that John Astor was one of the most sought out bachelors in the country. For him to be taken, especially by a fellow blue-blood, would definitely land at least a few columns in the newspapers. He had it all: the family, the money, and handsome looks to spare. He was tall with green eyes and light brown hair. If Steph thought about it, she realized that to the outside world, Rory and John probably look well matched.

"I strictly requested that we keep it under wraps for the time being. You know, kind of try to enjoy the engagement before the vultures start diving," Rory explained. Both she and Steph knew that the main reason that Rory didn't want her engagement being known was because Rory didn't like the spotlight given to her by the elite.

"Ever since the Gilmore's named me their heiress, I've been trying to dodge the society elite." 'The Huntzbergers probably still think I'm not good enough,' Rory couldn't help but think. She hated that after all these years, she still thought about the Huntzbergers and their cutting words at the dinner she had attended years ago.

Steph studied Rory for a minute and couldn't help but feel a certain rage against Logan Huntzberger. She noticed how Rory's eyes didn't light up when she described her engagement. If it were Logan she was engaged to, Rory's eyes would be dancing, telling every detail of the engagement. Steph knew just how much Logan and Rory were supposed to be fated to be together. She will never understand why Logan did what he did. A love like they had didn't come by that often. John Astor couldn't possibly make Rory half as happy as Logan used to. Along with knowing that John was sought after, she also knew that he was quite stuck up and too proper for her taste. He was rich, oh he was rich. But he wasn't the guy for Rory.

"Congratulations are in order then," Stephanie turned towards the entrance to the balcony and yelled before Rory could stop her, "Finn! Break a bottle of bubbly! Rory's engaged!" Rory cringed. The woman couldn't keep her mouth shut. Stephanie suddenly realized her mistake and turned to Rory with an apologetic look on her face. Rory simply smiled, "It's okay Steph. They'd have figured it out eventually," stressing the word eventually.

At Stephanie's words, both Colin and Finn turned their heads towards where the girls were and looked stunned.

"The surprises just keep on coming. By the time I reach 30, I'd be in danger of keeling over from too much shock," Colin said in a daze.

Finn recovered and went inside immediately wedging himself in between Steph and Rory, "Darling is it true?" Rory flashed him her ring finger and he grabbed his chest in mock hurt, "And here I thought I was your one and only."

"You come a close second Finn," Rory smiled as she also showed Colin, who had followed Finn, her ring finger.

Colin let out a low whistle, "So who's the lucky bastard?"

"John Astor"

Colin and Finn both raised their eyebrows at the name. They were acquainted with John Astor because of the similar society circles they ran. Colin and Finn exchanged glances, each knowing what the other was thinking. Why would Rory Gilmore, sweetheart extraordinaire, get engaged to one of the most pompous jackasses in the nation? no the world?

"I know what that look is. We may have been separated for a time but I can still recognize those looks. You guys, I know what I'm doing. John isn't as bad as everybody thinks he is. He's got a good heart and he means well," Rory said while thinking back to her conversation with Lorelai.

Steph, Colin, and Finn nodded their heads and Finn said, "Say, why weren't you wearing that ring when I saw you last? I know I would've noticed it then."

Rory replied, "Oh I don't wear it around all the time. It's a bit flashy and I need to get it resized. The last thing I'd want is to lose it."

'Maybe it just doesn't feel right,' Stephanie, the ever knowledgeable one of the matters of the heart, thought sadly.

Finn sensed something underlying Rory's words but decided to just say, "At least he isn't cheap. I think I'd be willing to marry him if he gave me a ring like that." The other three laughed and were all relieved that the subject was being dropped with that final statement. However, Colin, Finn, and Stephanie all had the same thoughts running around. Should they tell Rory that Logan was getting a divorce and is living in New York City?


	6. A Divorce and An Engagement

_Once again, thank you everyone for the reviews. It really helps me to know what people want in this story. I have the next few chapters already typed up and ready to go so hopefully, I'll be updating those soon. And no worries, the long awaited meeting between Rory and Logan will be coming (I've also typed that up already). Anyways…on with the chapter!_

Meanwhile, Logan was sitting in his office staring out the window. He signed the final papers for his divorce which were sitting on top of his desk. It could be said that it was a mutual decision on both his and Vanessa's part. He actually wanted to work on their marriage, even wanted to go to marriage counseling. Vanessa had agreed and they found a therapist they both liked. However, when Logan would miss their sessions or he would be late because of a business meeting, that's when Vanessa decided that enough was enough. Logan sighed deeply. He really did want to try and work it out. Getting a divorce was just another slap in the face of the mistakes he made.

'I bet Rory and I would've been happy.' He thought sadly.

Logan's daze was broken by his secretary paging him on his office phone.

"Mr. Huntzberger, Mr. Wallace would like to speak with you in your office."

"Send him in Sara," Logan answered back, allowing one of the editors of the New York Times to meet with him that afternoon. There was no such thing as the weekend being a reprieve from the daily grind of the work week.

Tony Wallace entered the office. Logan became friends with Tony after having been in a meeting with him about Huntzberger Publishing and the New York Times. They bonded over the boredom they were both experiencing, not realizing that either were big bosses of each company. When they found out what their positions were, they laughed it off and formed a new friendship. They became such good friends that Logan mentioned to Tony that he and Rory used to date. Tony was acquainted with Rory, recognizing her as one of their upcoming reporters.

Tony sat down across from Logan. "So what's up Tony?"

"I wanted to let you know about something before we printed it. I know that you've had a past with Rory Gilmore and heavier than you are willing to say," at this statement, Logan raised both of his eyebrows

'This oughta be interesting.'

"I've just been informed of a recent engagement in the Astor family. John Astor actually."

Logan couldn't help but feel the heavy dread in his heart. He took a deep breath.

"And?"

"There's really no making this light. Cassandra Astor, John's mother, just gave us this to print."

Tony handed Logan a piece of paper and he took it quickly.

"Logan, Rory's engaged to John Astor."

Logan swept his eyes over the document stating that Cassandra Astor wanted the New York Times to print an article of the recent engagement between her son and, in quotes, "the lovely Rory Gilmore".

Logan's hands began to shake and his heart was beating fast.

"I knew I had to show you. I'm not asking you to tell me all the details but I thought this may be of some importance to you. I don't usually do this Logan. But the way you talk about Rory, I thought you needed to see this."

"Thanks Tony. I appreciate you showing this to me," Logan whispered, looking over the document again. He was in a state of emotional shock. He didn't know what to feel. Sadness? Regret? Anger? He knew that he had no right to feel the last one. After all, he was the one that let her go. But perhaps he can feel anger towards himself. He was feeling a myriad of things, the strongest one was wanting to find John Astor, pummel him to the ground and beating the shit out of him for being engaged to Rory.

Logan handed back the paper to Tony and soon Tony left. He just couldn't believe it. John Astor was engaged to his Ace. 'No not my Ace.' Logan thought as tears slid down his cheeks. He knew there was a none to slim chance that Rory would ever consider looking at him again let alone wanting to be with him. She was engaged to Astor for crying out loud. Why she was, he didn't have a clue. Everyone knew what an arrogant jackass he was but for unknown reasons, Rory was with him. It hurt to think about Rory kissing John or even holding hands with him. Thinking about anything past kissing was just another form of torture in itself.

Logan was in a tough position. He is going to be a divorce who is still in love with his ex-girlfriend who is now engaged. He didn't know what his plan of action was. All he knew was that if he decided to pursue Rory Gilmore, it was going to be a long hard battle and he had to act fast. There may be great difficulties that he'll have to face but he believed in all his heart that it was worth it.

'I think it's time to contact some old friends.' With a final resolve, Logan roughly ran his hands through his hair and tried to think of a plan of action. But first, he had to start explaining himself to his best friends and maybe they just might help him get Rory Gilmore back.


	7. When I'm Drunk I Blab

_Sorry for the lack of updates but I had mid-terms all week and I forgot about updating. So here's the newest installment…enjoy!_

The afternoon wore on quickly and the sun just set as Rory, Finn, Steph, and Colin drank rounds of beer and margaritas around a fire pit outside on Finn's large balcony.

"Remember that time when you and I got so drunk we decided it would be a good idea to streak across the beach and yell 'the British are coming! The British are coming!" Colin laughed as he recounted the tale from their college years.

"Yes and I had absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. As you all have seen countless times, I am quite well endowed," Finn said proudly.

A drunken Rory started laughing uncontrollably with tears in her eyes.

Stephanie, the only sober one at this point due to her pregnancy thought for a moment, "I remember that night and it amazes me that I still fell for Colin," she deadpanned.

"Hey!" Colin pouted.

"Oh it's alright mate. A penis like mine only comes by every few centuries," at this the whole group erupted in a fresh round of giggles.

"Now Logan's probably didn't match up to the size of yours but god-damn did that boy know how to use it," smiled Rory.

Colin, Steph, and Finn realized how drunk Rory must have been because she actually volunteered to talk about anything concerning Logan for the first time that night. His name slipped in a few times during their stories but it still felt like they should tread lightly and be careful of what they say around Rory.

"Oh it's okay you guys. We can talk about Logan and how he gets his women," Rory said with a bitter undertone.

"Speaking of Logan, he's getting a divorce by the way...oops," Finn, in his drunken state and trying to lighten the mood didn't realize what he just let slip. He still talked to Logan once in a while and Logan's pending divorce had been the topic of many a calls on the phone. Colin and Steph just looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. They also knew but weren't sure if it was supposed to be kept a secret. They were sure that Logan didn't think they would be in contact with Rory Gilmore anytime soon and consequently he didn't say if they were supposed to keep it a secret. They just assumed.

"Is he really? Huh," Rory tried to say nonchalantly. In all truthfulness, it peaked her interest quite a bit. "Finn, I'd be lying if I said I don't get a sick satisfaction that he has a failed marriage," Rory said wickedly. "I on the other hand am about to get married to a man everyone seems to hate including my mother." Rory looked at her ring wistfully. "Oh well, c'est la vie right? That's life baby and I hope he'll be happy in the future. Who wants another round of margaritas?" Rory stood up a bit shaky and made her way to the kitchen to get herself another glass.

Stephanie hit Finn upside the head for the umpteenth time that night, "Finn! I can't believe you just said that!"

"What? She would've found out anyway."

"You know Steph, I think it might've been a good thing that Finn let that one out of the bag. Did you see the way Gilmore reacted?" Colin said.

"Yes she tried to play off not caring but I think we all know her well enough that she is a bit more intrigued than she's letting on. But guys seriously, let's not add any fuel to the fire. She hasn't even seen him yet and by the way that she looks everytime Logan gets mentioned, it looks like she's still hurting," Steph looked inside through the window balcony at Rory who seemed to be staring off into space by the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

"Earth to Rory," Stephanie waved a hand back and forth in front of Rory's face when she reached the kitchen.

"Hmm? Oh sorry Steph. I guess I just drifted off there for a minute," Rory shook her head lightly.

"Are you okay? I mean really okay?" Steph asked her friend.

Rory knew better than to lie to her, "Steph I'm scared. I'm scared that everything will crash down around me if I see him ever again with the knowledge that he isn't married anymore. What is the matter with me? I have a guy that loves me, who's family accepts me! This is so frustrating! I want to get over Logan. I want to stop thinking about him. I thought I was finally getting over him," Rory said the last part in a barely audible whisper.

Stephanie enveloped Rory in a tight hug while she sobbed. None of them had any idea how heart broken Rory was. She glanced outside on the balcony to see Finn and Colin looking concerned at the crying girl in her arms. After a moment longer, Rory pulled back and wiped away her tears. She quickly put on a mask of cold hard determination, something that didn't go by unnoticed by Stephanie, 'She's jaded.' It scared Stephanie a little on how fast Rory could mask her true feelings as if she was trained her whole life to put on the society face.

"You know what? I'm done. No more crying about him. I'm just done. I have a life that doesn't and will never include him again," Rory made another margarita and went back out onto the balcony with Stephanie following behind. Finn and Colin quickly disguised the concern on their faces and found something else to bicker about. The rest of the night was spent talking about their current jobs and how much they wanted to get away from it all for a while only to come back to the conclusion that they really did enjoy what each of them did for a living. Stephanie was the first to go inside and pass out on the couch. A half hour later, Rory started to get sleepy and decided to go back to her hotel which was not far from Finn's apartment.

"Okay guys I think it's time I head on hiccup home," Rory was clearly smashed and Finn quickly offered that she stay at his apartment for the night.

"Love you're drunk!"

"And so are hiccup you hiccup my friend." By this time, Finn and Colin had sobered up.

"If you don't want to stay here the night, at least let me walk you back," Finn reasoned. She thought for a moment and nodded her head. Colin gently woke Steph up who proved quite the grumpy one when woken out of a deep slumber.

"Wake up baby. It's time to go home."

"Five more minutes?"

Colin sighed and started tapping her when she fell back to sleep. "Alright, alright! I'm up," Stephanie said groggily and stood up from the comfortable couch. The four of them made their way outside and said their goodbyes. Rory promised to see them again before she went back to New York and they also promised each other that they would keep in better contact.

"Rory you couldn't avoid us anyway. Steph and I already have a townhouse ready in New York City. All we have to do is finish packing up and we're there," Colin said.

Rory smiled and joked, "Damn. And here I thought I could avoid you guys for another couple of years."

Finn and Rory both accompanied Steph and Colin to their apartment down the block. After dropping them off, Finn and Rory walked the few blocks to Rory's hotel. They shared a comfortable silence, both in deep thought of the day they just had. When they arrived at Rory's hotel, Finn turned to look at Rory, "Please, make sure to call me if you need anything. Anything at all."

"I will," with that, Rory gave him a hug and went inside and up to her hotel room on the 25th floor. Upon entering, Rory closed the door and made her way towards her bathroom to brush her teeth and prepare for bed. She was dreading the hang over that she knew would grace her with it's presence in the morning. When she finished, she plopped down on the bed. She hadn't wanted it to happen but the last thing she thought of before succumbing to sleep was a man with blond hair and deep chocolate brown eyes.


	8. Public Displays of Affection

_Please don't shank me. I'm incredibly sorry for the wait but college life has been hectic. Also to those who are waiting for a Lorelai/Rory reunion…it won't come for a while. But a Rory/Logan reunion may just pop up soon . On with the chapter!_

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Logan were in his New York City apartment. She was getting the rest of her things packed and was moving back to London in a couple of days.

"You were never in love with me were you?" Vanessa asked sadly. Logan didn't know what to say. He loved her but it was true. His heart always belonged to Rory. Vanessa took Logan's silence as a confirmation to what she had suspected. For a time Vanessa thought that she was in love with Logan but who was she kidding? She had an inkling all along that he couldn't and didn't want to let go of Rory. Logan had only ever mentioned her a handful of times and every time, he had a wistful look in his eyes. She tried to ignore it. She wasn't stupid though and knew that Logan was forced into a marriage with her for business purposes. All of her friends had always cautioned her about this marriage. They all questioned how it could work. She convinced herself that this match was going to be very beneficial to both parties. She was sadly mistaken. Vanessa tried to love a man and make him love her when his heart wasn't in it. Rory Gilmore had his heart in a tight hold. One thing she didn't understand however was how Rory Gilmore wasn't good enough for the Huntzberger family. She remembered getting that bit of information out of Logan during a drunken night

_"Logan darling, are you sufficiently drunk yet?" asked an amused Vanessa at how much alcohol Logan could consume. They were at a local pub near the London Times. _

_"Not enough to forget her," at this statement from Logan, Vanessa visibly stiffened. This was one of the rare occasions that he chose to reveal a bit of his past love life to her. They had been dating for 2 months now. _

_"Forget who?" Of course she had already known the answer._

_"Rory Gilmore. You know, my family didn't approve of her very much. Beautiful, smart, successful. What can you not approve of?" Vanessa saddened. She thought for a moment but came to the conclusion that in time, she could make Logan Huntzberger love her as much as he loved Rory Gilmore. _

Vanessa gathered the rest of her belongings in the apartment. She headed for the door, took one last look around at the apartment and said to Logan, surprising him, "Find her Logan. You deserve to be with her."

"What if she doesn't take me back?"

"Don't worry. If your love was as strong as I think it was, it will come back eventually."

Logan smiled at his ex-wife and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Vanessa, I'm sorry."

"Please. Don't be sorry Logan. I'm not one to mess with true love. Now I just hope I find mine." Vanessa smiled and turned around and walked out of the door leaving Logan wishing that she does find someone who will love her as much as he loves Rory. Logan, for the first time in so long, felt a sense of hope that perhaps he can get his Ace back.

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In the past week, Rory buried herself in her temporary work in San Francisco. She was now sitting outside of JFK airport waiting for John to pick her up. Her mood had been going up and down all week. One day she found herself happy that Finn, Colin, and Stephanie were all going to be in New York City soon. The next day she would be angry that she was thinking about Logan and his failed marriage. She thought at least he was a safe distance away in London. She didn't think she could handle ever seeing his face again or hearing his voice. She had no idea if she would react like a screaming banshee or be in so much shock she would be stunned into silence. She knew that if she ever saw him again it would turn her world upside down. There was always a chance of a meeting. After all, now that Colin, Finn, and Stephanie were back in her life, there was always that possibility. She just hoped it was much later than sooner. She had to adjust to the new information she found out about Logan and his divorce, not to mention her wedding to John.

As if on cue, John pulled up to the curb side in his Mercedes. Rory stood up and gave him a big smile. He got out of the car, went up to her, and gave her a big hug and a quick kiss on the lips. John Astor was not one to show a big public display of affection, something that bothered Rory sometimes. Now, don't get her wrong, it's not like Rory Gilmore is huge on PDA, but sometimes she wished John would show more affection especially after a long separation.

"Now is that a way to show your fiancee a proper welcome?" Rory tried to hint to John.

John got the message. Although it made him a little uncomfortable, he gave Rory a longer kiss on the lips and hugged her tighter.

"Better," Rory grinned. To her surprise, she got a flashback to one of the moments she had shared with Logan

_Rory was waiting for Logan's limo to pull up in front of their favorite restaurant in Hartford. Logan had been gone for ten days on business in Seattle. The week had been long and boring without Logan. Their phone calls during the week had been short because Logan always seemed to be running around having so many meetings and Rory was busy with the paper as usual. Logan was finally coming home that night and had told her to meet him at the restaurant. Rory couldn't wait to see him. Being apart from him even for a day seemed like eternity to her. _

_Rory was sitting outside of the restaurant on a bench when a handsome man who looked like he was in his late 20s came up to her and handed her two roses._

_"For the beautiful lady," the man gave her a grin._

_Rory was flattered and blushed a little, "Thank you very much but I'm actually waiting for my boyfriend to get here."_

_"Oh it's not from me although I'm getting jealous of your boyfriend. It's from that guy over there," the mystery man pointed to a man standing down the street with his back turned to them. He had blond hair and immediately Rory ran to him. When she reached him she called Logan's name and touched his shoulder. When he turned around Rory started to become confused._

_"Seven roses for a beautiful lady," another man that looked to be the same age as her with blond hair and green eyes handed her a bundle of roses._

_At this point, Rory didn't know what to think, "Um...thank you?"_

_"I saw you sitting on the bench and couldn't help but think 'What could a gorgeous woman like her be waiting for all by herself? Whoever he is he's got to be the luckiest guy in the world," He was definitely charming and flashed her a smile that any other woman would have loved. But he wasn't Logan._

_Rory smiled a little, "I just wish he got here sooner."_

_"Well he might be able to help you with that," he pointed to yet another man standing several feet away from them. This time the man was facing them with the biggest grin on his face and a single rose in his hand. Rory could feel her eyes mist as she saw Logan. She ran as fast as she could. Logan was waiting and when she finally got to him he enveloped her in a tight hug that lifted her off the ground. He swung her around then put her down. Their mouths found each other which resulted in a passionate kiss that seemed to last for hours. They finally pulled apart and Rory hugged him again. _

_Logan smiled and said, "Ten roses for the ten days I could have given you one for each day."_

_Rory's tears slowly made tracks down her cheeks._

_"Ace why are you crying?" Logan's voice was full of concern._

_"You are the most amazing man I have ever met. I love you."_

_"I love you too Ace." _

John waved a hand across Rory's face, "Earth to Rory. Where were you off to just then?"

Rory was still in John's arms when she finally realized where she was, "Oh just thinking about how much I've missed you. Come on, let's go."

John picked up her luggage and dropped them in the trunk. He went to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She was used to gestures like this from him now. After all, like the rest of the east coast elite, he was brought up as a gentleman. She smiled at him and got in the car. He made his way to the driver's side and drove away from the curb.

"So how was San Francisco?"

"Eventful. I ran into some old friends from college who are moving to New York City soon."

"Oh? Do I know them?"

Rory told him about Finn, Colin, and Steph. John listened patiently and when Rory was done telling him a little about them he said, "I think I've run into them a few times. All Hartford elite and very old money." He didn't elaborate much further than that. To him, status was a very important criteria. Everyone knew that the Astors were high on the elite list and it didn't surprise Rory very much that that was all he had to say. At times they seemed so different from each other but at the same time they had goals in life they both understood. It still amazed Rory how supporting his family was to their relationship. They all knew that she was working to be an overseas correspondent and therefore she wouldn't have the time to be a society wife. However, her status in the media made the union an important one. The Astors never minded having their name in the media. In the beginning of her and John's relationship, she had wondered if she was just being used for both her profession and her status as a Gilmore and Hayden. However, as their relationship grew, Rory began to believe that John really did love her.

John grabbed her hand with his free one and kissed the back of her hand, "I missed you."

It was moments like this of spontaneous displays of affection that made Rory believe that their relationship will last. Thinking about Logan earlier was just a minor distraction. She knew that she would always think about the past. However, she made herself believe that having these flashbacks didn't mean anything to her. She was very much mistaken.


	9. A Not So Ordinary Day

_Ah! Finally an update! So this chapter is the long awaited reunion. Enjoy! Oh and on a side note…I've been trying to look for this one story on here. It's about Rory going to Europe with Emily where she meets Logan. They spend the whole summer basically together. Logan follows Rory around Europe. Neither knows each other's last name but then they meet at Yale again. I started reading it a long time ago and loved it but I didn't bookmark it. Now, I can't find it so if someone has any idea what story I'm talking about PLEASE let me know. Thanks!_

_The next week _

Maybe what got Rory about this particular day the most was how ordinary it was; no ominous warnings of black cats crossing her path, breaking mirrors, or walking under ladders. Nope, it was just an ordinary day at the office. Little did she know her life was about to get tossed and turned as she went up the 20 floors to her office. As soon as she got settled down behind her desk, Rory's secretary buzzed her on the phone.

"Ms. Gilmore, there's an important meeting today at 2 that requires your presence at the top floor. All of the senior writers and editors are supposed to attend," Chelsea, Rory's secretary said.

"If I must," Rory replied annoyed. She never looked forward to these meetings because they usually involved drones that loved to hear themselves talk. She'd rather work on her article. Rory never bothered to ask what the meeting was about prior to it. It was always about some mergers or other. She didn't know yet that this meeting might be one of the most eventful.

Logan's limo pulled up in front of the New York Times. He felt a certain trepidation because he knew this was not his territory. It was Rory's. Nervous didn't even begin to describe how he felt given that she probably had no idea that he was going to be at her work place and he hadn't seen her in years. Having worked on this merger, he knew of the eventuality of seeing Rory. Perhaps that's why he especially wanted to get involved. He had the advantage of having prepared himself for a possible meet with his old flame. However, knowing ahead of time didn't really help. Screw preparations. He didn't even realize he was wearing two different shoes until the bellman at his apartment politely pointed out that he had on one black shoe and one brown. Logan raked his fingers over his already messy hair and silently told himself, 'Here we go.' He stepped into the elevators and rode up to the top of the building.

The elevators opened and he walked down the hall and then opened some doors to a spacious meeting room. There were already some people chatting. He spotted Tony and walked over to him.

"Hey man how's it going?"

"You're a bit early," Tony noticed.

Logan had been so worried he was going to be late that he was 15 minutes early. "Yeah I'm the punctual type. So, who's supposed to be here for this meeting?"

"Well all the usual big suits and some reporters here and there."

"Oh yea? Which reporters?"

Tony grinned. He was going to have fun avoiding exactly who the reporters were going to be. "It's really just a few of our guys."

"Hmm," Logan refused to ask out right if Rory was going to be there.

Fifteen minutes later, William Ashcroft, the big boss of the paper, arrived signaling the start of the meeting. To Logan's both disappointment and relief, Rory didn't show up.

"Okay everyone lets get this meeting started. Let's make it as short and sweet as possible shall we?" Ashcroft began.

Logan sat at the opposite end of the long table where on the other side William Ashcroft lounged back in his chair.

Logan stood and introduced himself, "Hello everyone. My name is Logan Huntzberger, CEO of Huntzberger Publishing. It is my great pleasure to formally announce the merging of the New York Times and Huntzberger Publishing. Before I continue I'd like to say that everyone does not need to worry about lay-offs or anything of that matter. The New York Times will still be called the New York Times. It is simply a--" Logan broke off as the doors next to him opened. He stared wide-eyed at the person that just came in.

"Sorry I'm late but please continue," Rory quickly apologized and made eye contact with William Ashcroft as she walked to a seat. She hadn't realized yet who was talking. She had been distracted in her office typing up the article when she hadn't seen that she was late for the meeting. She went up to the meeting room as fast as she could while managing not to spill her cup of coffee in her hand.

"Ms. Gilmore please take a seat quickly. Mr. Huntzberger, please continue," at the mention of that name, Rory whipped her head towards the other end of the table to come eye to eye with Logan Huntzberger. Brown eyes battled with blue eyes as Logan and Rory stared at each other for what seemed like centuries until Rory realized who she was looking at. Amazement was quickly smothered by anger and coldness. Logan saw the change in her eyes and looked away.

"As I was saying..." Logan went on but Rory wasn't listening. The only thing she heard was the whistling sound in her ears. She needed to get out. She couldn't breathe.

'Get a grip. C'mon, get a grip!" she mentally told herself. She really should've asked what this meeting was about and what company was involved.

Logan on the other hand hardly knew what he was talking about. He could barely think. It was a good thing that he basically had this speech down with the number of times he's had to say it save for a few changes here and there each time. He knew he was talking but what he was really thinking was, 'Damn she looks good.' He couldn't help but notice that she can make business attire look really sexy. Her hair was the same color but it was a little bit longer. He kept glancing in her direction but each time, she had her head down and blatantly avoiding making eye contact. Logan desperately wanted to make eye contact with her and see her baby blues in full force again but she wouldn't have it. Then again it may have been a good thing that she was avoiding looking at him because he had the feeling that if he saw her eyes he would stop thinking completely.

She knew he was casting her glances here and there. She couldn't deny it; she knew that their connection was still there. She could feel his glances which only served to send shivers throughout her body. However, she resolved to ignore them and just keep her head down. Finally, she heard Logan's speech end and William Ashcroft stood to make his. She gave a quick glance up and saw Logan sit on a vacant seat next to Ashcroft. She immediately turned her glance to Ashcroft and pretended that she was paying attention all the while many different emotions were running around in her head. You wouldn't think she was feeling so much surprise, anger, and resentment. To the outside, she had on a blank face, an expression she quickly learned was a good tool.

The blankness of her face was not at all unnoticed by Logan. He was actually surprised that she wasn't showing much of anything at all. He used to be able to read her like a book and could decipher the little looks and any subtle nuances on her face. But now, he was at a loss as to what she was thinking. He wasn't going to lie; this disturbed him a little.

Rory silently prayed for this meeting to quickly end. Finally, when Ashcroft dismissed the room, Rory quickly stood up and speed walked to the doors. Once out of the meeting room doors she ran down the hall to the elevators like a wild horse. It felt like centuries until the elevator doors opened. She quickly jumped in and hit the button to go down to the lobby before anybody else could get in the elevator. To her relief no one else caught the elevator with her. Her mind was still reeling from the sight of Logan. She couldn't help but notice the changes in him. He had more facial hair with the five o'clock shadow he was sporting. He also had that air of confidence that came with owning a major company and needing to deal with hardball suits. Gone was the Logan Rory knew to be fun and free-spirited.

The elevators opened to the lobby. Rory walked across the echoing floor of the lobby and out to the busy sidewalk. She really wished she had a cigarette on her. She continued to walk a few paces to the left and didn't even see one of the reporters standing smoking a cigarette.

"Rory!" Alicia, a columnist, shouted her name. Rory seemed to be in a daze until Alicia caught her attention. Rory looked at her like she was an angel from heaven smoking a blessed cigarette.

"Alicia could I bother you for a cigarette?"

"Of course," she handed one to Rory and also gave her a lighter. Rory lit her cigarette and took in a big drag. Alicia looked at her with questions in her eyes. Rory remained silent for the time being.

"Must have been one hell of a meeting," Alicia finally commented, knowing that there was a big merger today and all of the senior reporters where required to go. Alicia was amazed by Rory. She was so young and already quite successful.

"Yea I guess you could say that," Rory replied, not really wanting to talk about her past with Alicia. Although they made quick friends and Rory could say that Alicia became one of her very good friends, Rory liked to keep her personal life as private as possible. It was convenient for her to talk to Finn, Steph, and Collin because they were there from the very beginning of her relationship with Logan, but even then, she still tried to keep her personal life low key.

Alicia still couldn't help but notice that Rory looked troubled. However, in all the time she had known Rory, she knew better than to try to get Rory to open up. Rory would tell her once she was ready.

"Well always remember I'm just a couple of cubicles and offices away if you want to talk about anything," Alicia smiled and walked back to the front doors of the New York Times. Rory was grateful that Alicia didn't try to pry. She wanted to silently think about her current situation.

Logan was now in his new office in the New York Times building. He got his own office because of this merger. He expected to be spending some time in the building. Being the CEO of a big company basically gave him some open doors he could just walk through, one being that he could be a freelance writer for the New York Times. This merger may not have seemed like such a big deal to the public as there was always a merger going on here and there. However, to him, it was one of the most important mergers in his life mainly because Rory worked for the New York Times. At the moment, he didn't know how he felt about the current situation. There could be many occasions when he and Rory may run into each other. There was always a chance for an accidental bump in a break room. Before fully thinking about it, he requested an office he knew to be on the same floor as her. Oh yes, he definitely did his research. But, the more he thought about it, the more he feared that this move was all wrong. Seeing the blank expression on Rory's face did nothing for his confidence. The only reassurance he felt was that Colin, Finn, and Steph were all moved in the city.

He looked at his desk and then to the phone that was staring right at him. He knew what he wanted to do. He picked up a phone and started to dial a familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Finn it's me. I'm at the New York Times right now and just finished a merger. I kind of need to talk to you about something."

Silence sliced through the phone lines.

"Finn are you there? Look I really need to talk to you. It's about Rory."

"Oh now you decide you want to pick up the phone and talk about Rory. You're a right bastard you know that? Do you have any idea at all how much hurt you shoved into that girl? She was so broken Logan! Steph, Colin, and I picked up the pieces but I'll tell you, it's never been put back together. You had no right! She loved you so much and you just threw it away," Finn went into a long tirade.

"I had obligations!"

"We all have obligations Logan and we've followed through with them without hurting anybody."

"Finn you don't understand."

"Then make me understand!"

Logan sighed. He has to tell Finn why he did what he did, "Look I don't want to talk about this over the phone. Let's meet up somewhere. There's a coffee shop on 5th."

"Alright," Finn answered curtly.

"I know what I did was stupid and I should be flogged but please, I had my reasons which I thought at the time were the only options I had."

"You know Colin and Stephanie are here. They're waiting for their furniture to get in from San Francisco. They probably want to hear your side too, finally," Finn added the last word under his breath.

"That's fine with me. It's time I start talking about it with my best friends. Let's meet at 6."


	10. Idiocy

_I'm really sorry about the lack of updates in the past 3 months. Don't really have any excuse except I was kind of nervous to put out this chapter. I have to warn you guys…as much as I didn't want this to be the typical Rogan conflict it sort of came out that way but with a small little twist thanks to a suggestion by a reviewer named Jenny. Don't worry though! I've got a couple things in mind for a few twists here and there._

_Oh and didn't really put one in the other chapters, but:_

_DISCLAIMER: sadly Gilmore Girls isn't mine but I'd gladly make Matt Czuchry mine if at all possible :-P_

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Rory was back in her office trying to figure out ways to avoid Logan for the rest of the day. One meeting with him was enough to send her running. Another look at him and she thought she would actually let her anger out by throwing office supplies at him. She tried to focus on her article but the thought of him being in the same building was making her all kinds of anxious, angry, and nervous. She hated feeling this way. She hated the fact that she wasn't in better control of her emotions after a couple of years of not seeing him.

Rory kept glancing at her clock every ten minutes. This had to be one of the slowest days of her life. By the time it was almost 6 she still couldn't concentrate on the article. A part of her was angry that neither Finn, Stephanie, nor Collin told her that Logan was back in town. They were bound to know.

She started to put her things away, admitting defeat that she didn't get anywhere in her work. She decided that a good dose of some strong coffee would help her clear her head. It was after 6 by the time she made it down to her favorite coffee shop on 5th. She opened the doors and continued to the register, not noticing the interesting group that was sitting by the windows. When Rory finished ordering her coffee, she turned and to her surprise, was greeted with bewildered faces, including Logan's.

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Six o'clock rolled around and Logan made his way to the coffee shop. He was beyond nervous because he was about to face his demons. Re-hashing the past was something he didn't want to do but if he wanted to ever have even the slightest chance with Rory again, he would have to talk to his friends.

He looked around the busy coffee shop and didn't see Finn, Colin, or Steph. He ordered a big cup of coffee to help him relax. He had never really liked coffee but after meeting Rory, he got hooked on the aromatic liquid and got used to drinking more than 3 cups a day. After he got his drink, he walked over to a table by the windows and waited patiently. This was definitely something he wasn't looking forward to. After 5 minutes or so, he glanced over the door to see his friends walk in. They went to order their drinks and he signaled them over to the table.

Logan stood up to greet Stephanie first with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. She had gotten so big with her pregnancy and he was happy for her and Colin. He found that he was jealous that they were about to make their own family. Next he hugged Colin then Finn.

They all sat around the table not knowing what to do next. Logan took this as his cue to start talking.

"I know I have a lot to explain but please bear with me. It's not exactly the easiest thing for me to talk about. I can't say enough though how much I regret not speaking to you guys about this sooner."

Stephanie gave him an encouraging smile and Colin and Finn just waited in silence, nodding their heads that they were all ears.

"Okay were to start," Logan took a slow slip before diving in.

"We all know that our future is all planned out for us from the day we are born." 'Wow that was lame,' Logan thought.

"You know what I'm just gonna cut the bullshit," He took another sip, finding that his throat was really dry. "It's no secret my parents didn't like the idea of me dating Rory let alone making her my future wife. You guys have to believe me when I say that Rory was it for me."

At this statement, Finn snorted a little bit which only earned him a glare from Stephanie. Logan chose to ignore it and continued.

"After my stint in London and after she graduated, I wanted to propose and start living my life with her. I was all set. Believe it or not but I had the engagement ring all picked out," Logan put his hand in his pocket and produced a stunning solitaire diamond ring. His friends looked at the ring in shock. He had kept the ring. Maybe it was masochistic for him to still have it but carrying it around with him almost grounded him. It was a constant reminder that love really existed and in a way, kept him sane.

"I couldn't imagine having a family with anyone else but Rory. One day I went and talked to Mitchum about my wishes for the future only to earn a reprimand from him. He outright forbid me from ever marrying Rory. I said he may be able to control my professional life but not my personal one," Logan started going on autopilot and remembered that day very well.

"_Dad! You don't have a say in this. I will marry Rory and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!"_

"_I beg to differ Logan. You know as well as I do that she cannot be a proper wife for you. We have an image to uphold."_

_Logan chuckled bitterly, "And what's that Dad? Put on the society face and pretend everything is all right at home while your wife is clinically depressed and you're screwing your secretary?" _

_Mitchum's face turned red. The next words he spoke were low and quiet and deathly, "You will not marry Rory. You will marry Vanessa Lion for a merger with her father's company. We have a media empire Logan. An empire that was started long before my father, you, and myself were born. You will not destroy it with a marriage to a bastard child who does not know how our society functions." _

_Logan was so shocked by what his father had just said that he was speechless. _

"_You forget that she wants to be a journalist. How will she ever find a job when I control so much in this industry? No matter how talented she is, she will find that she can't get anything better than being an assistant for some low-life editor. You also forget that I am willing to take this whole business away from you. This may not seem like such a threat but believe me when I say I can make your life a living hell. _

"_Your children will not get any support from me. I will cut you off from all the money and all the jobs. Think about it. Rory will resent you. You will get a divorce. And all for what? Marrying a girl you think is the one for the rest of your life. Wake up Logan! This is your life," Mitchum opened his arms and gestured around his large office. _

_Logan finally found his voice and couldn't help but yell at his insane father, "Why? Why are you doing this to me? I've done nothing but follow your orders down to the T. I'm in this god-forsaken country and I've been doing everything I can to impress you! You are insane! First of all arranged marriages are so archaic that I cannot believe you are trying to implement it. Second, I don't even know what this woman you're trying to get me to marry looks like! Third, and most important of all, I love Rory!"_

"_Impress me when you can do what I do with a wife that will not distract you from your work. To address your other…concerns…an arranged marriage is not unheard of in our world Logan. It doesn't matter what you think."_

"_Rory is anything but a distraction! She has made me better. She has made me focus! You should be the one thanking her! And who gives a shit if arranged marriages aren't unheard of. Those are for people who are only after money and status. Neither Rory nor I care about either of those. We want to be together. Why can you not understand that?" Logan retaliated._

"_Do you not understand our family's importance? She will not have time to be the proper wife. You will have many society functions to go to, not to mention having your own functions to plan. These events are important for both our image and our company. This is my last warning Logan. I suggest you choose the right path." With that, Mitchum picked up his phone, "Tell the editors the meeting will start in 10 minutes."_

_Logan got the message and stormed out of his office. _

Logan paused. Recounting this part of the story wasn't even the hardest part. By the looks of his friends' faces, they seemed to understand where he was coming from. But he had a feeling that that was about to change when he dove into the second part of this story.

"That's not all. A few weeks after that conversation with him, there was a charity ball in London hosted by some important family in London or other. Anyways, I went just to get Mitchum off my back and give him less reason to completely go through with the consequences of marrying Rory.

"I did the usual polite society thing, had the mask on, and acted like the perfect little heir, while all the while downing drink after drink. To top it all off, I hadn't seen Rory for a while and missed her so much. Everything felt like it was weighing down on me and I couldn't breathe," Logan paused yet again. What he was about to say was the hardest for him.

"I met this girl. Tall, brunette, blue eyes. She had approached me first. She had already known my name and in my overly drunk state I couldn't care less what her name was. We got to talking and she didn't bore me, unlike the rest of the people that were there. We kept on talking and I kept on drinking. Before I knew it we were out on the dance floor. I had her in my arms and for a moment she had turned into Rory. All I wanted to do was kiss her.

"I was caught in this fantasy that Rory was standing right in front of me. I missed her so much that I kissed this woman only to find that it didn't feel right. I opened my eyes and to my horror it wasn't Rory. I quickly excused myself and apologized. I got the hell out of there."

Steph, Finn, and Colin couldn't believe what they just heard. He had actually kissed another girl. They didn't know what to think.

"I found out later that Vanessa was sent over by her father and Mitchum. It was all part of some ridiculous ploy: the fastest way to try to get me to comply with my father's wishes. He had cameras ready to try to catch any kind of flirtation with me and Vanessa.

"And then, I had to make that huge mistake. I kissed her and it was all caught on camera. Two days later, Mitchum wanted to talk again. I was hoping that he had come to his senses," Logan chuckled bitterly. "He showed me the photographs. He didn't have any problem publishing those photos. He kept saying how it would be better to break up with Rory now instead of her finding out that I had kissed another girl because of some picture."

Logan looked down at his cup and quietly said, "What kind of father blackmails his son for his own purposes? What kind of person uses two innocent people for his own advancement?"

Everyone was silent for a few moments. Colin and Finn didn't know if they should take Logan outside and kick his ass for cheating on Rory or to give him a hug because his own father used him. Steph began to shed tears. Logan's story was harder to bear than any of them had realized.

"Vanessa hadn't known that I was getting blackmailed. When she came over to me, she thought it was just a simple meet and greet. Rory, Vanessa, and I are all victims ready to be sacrificed all for the sake of business. I didn't know what to do but thought of the best way to lessen the hurt that was inevitable for Rory if I chose to ignore Mitchum or if I chose to comply.

"So, I called her that night and broke up with her. I didn't think of how much it would still hurt her to see that I was going to be engaged but I didn't know it was going to be announced so soon after I broke up with her. Two months. Two months and I was engaged to a girl I barely knew. I didn't propose to her. Somehow it was as if one day we were engaged. It was like my freedom was pulled out from under me without warning.

"I was a coward. I couldn't tell Rory that I kissed another girl. At the same time I was looking out for her, for her future. And all for what? A failed marriage. Apparently it doesn't even matter that we got divorced. Pre-nup had a specific time frame. It gave us a year or so to stay married. After that, it didn't matter as if the marriage could be broken down in the same instant it was erected. I've made the biggest mistake of my life and now I have to live with it," Logan was still looking down at his cup and found that he couldn't say more. He was tired, angry, and hurt all over again.

Logan shook his head briefly. No one spoke a word but it was clear that everyone was speechless.

Colin was the first to try to say something, "I…I…you know I don't know. I just wish you told us so much sooner Logan."

"Believe me, I realize that now. I know it was the worst decision I made not coming to you guys right away and also not telling Rory right after I got that ultimatum, but I felt that this way, if I chose to obey Mitchum, breaking up with her and leave her thinking that it was distance that drove us apart, would help her move on easier. I didn't think I would have made the mistake of kissing someone else and getting blackmailed. I didn't take into account that it still looked like I cheated on her after getting engaged so soon after our breakup. It became worse and I was a lot to blame."

"Yeah, well she didn't move on so easily," Finn put in a word. Logan winced.

"Look, mate, I understand all the pressure you were put through but you should have talked to us first. We could've helped you somehow."

"I can't say enough how much I've regretted everything. I had a loveless marriage and now I'm divorced. I lost Rory. If I wasn't such a coward and told her that I kissed Vanessa, we might still be together right now. We would be married and living on our own terms."

Before anything else could be said, Steph looked over to the counter and let out a gasp. Everyone turned to where she was looking only to see Rory ordering coffee. Rory unknowingly turned towards them and was taken by surprise.

That surprise quickly turned to anger and she stormed out of the coffee shop. Logan immediately stood up but Finn beat him to it as he ran out of the coffee shop after Rory.

"Rory! Love! Please stop!"

"You know what Finn? Just leave me alone!"

Finn caught up to her and took hold of her arm, "Rory. Let's talk about this."

"No! First of all, I don't care. Second, I can't believe you guys didn't tell me he was back in town! I couldn't prepare myself. I had to see his face during a meeting and I wasn't prepared. Just let me go. I have to sort this out on my own right now."

Finn let her go as tears started to build up in her eyes. She glanced at him briefly and started back in the direction she was going.

Back inside the coffee shop, Logan had sat back down and held is head in his hands. He thought, 'What did I do to deserve this?'

Steph sensed his utter sadness and started to rub circles on his back. Logan looked up and gave her a small smile.

"Now that you've finally talked to us about this, we can help you in any way we can. We'll help you get through it Logan, I promise," Steph smiled reassuringly. Finn had come back in. He and Colin looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah Logan. You're not alone," Colin reaffirmed.

Logan was grateful that he was once again in the company of his best friends and couldn't help but think of how much of an idiot he was not to have told them sooner.

They all sat thinking about the whole situation and letting it all sink in. Unbeknownst to them, they were all thinking the same thing. Logan was divorced but Rory was engaged.

Logan, in this new track of actually talking to his friends decided to bring up another subject he dreaded.

"So Rory's engaged to John Astor?" Logan asked quietly. He heaved a sigh and looked out the window. His friends nodded in response, not one of them surprised that he already knew. It was becoming big news and fast among the elite.

Finally, Logan sat up straight and said with much conviction, "I still love Rory. I probably will never stop. If there is even the slightest ounce of chance that I can still get her back, I will do anything to take it. I can't lose her a second time."

'Otherwise I just might break for good,' Logan thought.

Steph gave him a huge grin.

Colin simply smirked.

And Finn rubbed his hands together and said, "Mate, I extremely dislike Astor as much as the next socialite. I will help you in any way I can."

Logan looked at his friends amazed and then broke out with a big smile. He was grateful for his life-long friends and couldn't remember the last time he had felt this happy.

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Of course reviews are always, ALWAYS, welcome. Please! I'd like to know what you guys want to see in this story and suggestions are also ALWAYS welcome. Thanks!_


	11. Feeling Threatened

_Sorry for the long update. Writer's block and my computer has been broken for the better part of 3 months cos I dropped it :-( Anyways sorry for the delay and I have yet another question about a story I can't find…it's a Rogan. They're in high school and Tristan is Rory's best friend. She also had, I believe, two other guy friends growing up. But yeah so Rory and Tristan meet Logan and company at Chilton. I would really love to find that story so any help is appreciated. All right…on with the story!_

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After seeing Finn, Colin, Stephanie, and Logan at the café, Rory wanted to run; run from everything and everyone. Her nerves were still getting the best of her before she decided to go get coffee and seeing their faces only magnified her frayed state. She had a few things in her mind that she wanted to clear. Usually taking the subway to the office from her apartment and back, Rory decided that a nice long walk was in order.

She looked back to the beginning of her day and couldn't believe how surreal it has been. Seeing Logan in that conference room had elicited emotions in her she didn't think she could have all at once. But there was that one emotion that was bothering her the most. Love.

'No! Absolutely not! I'm completely over that bastard,' she thought vehemently. Still after three years, just thinking about him made her blood boil. She did her best to put on a façade of cool demeanor. Yes, she was definitely getting the society face down pat.

Rory kept on walking and walking. She was having these internal dialogues, wondering what she was going to do the next time she saw him. Should she be cold and formal? Should she even acknowledge his presence in case she sees him again in the office? Rory was getting confused and it was times like these that she really wanted to talk to her mom. Quickly, Rory's face turned into sadness at the separation from her mother. She couldn't forgive just yet though. It's been a while since she talked to her. These past few weeks have probably been the longest she's ever not talked to Lorelai, save for when she took time off of Yale. Nevertheless, she really felt like she needed to talk to someone or else she would go mad. Finn, Colin, and Steph were out of the question for now. She was still pretty peeved at them for not telling her that Logan was in New York City. Plus, she couldn't help the sadness that also washed over her when she saw them sitting together in the café. It almost felt like it could've been like the times they'd spent sitting around in the pub. Almost.

Rory quickly fished around in her purse for her cell phone and dialed a number she normally didn't use but could always count on, then started walking again towards her apartment

"Hello?"

"Hey Paris," Rory replied. After Yale, Paris went on to med school. It was hard and demanding, but just like Paris. They didn't talk on the phone much or even really saw each other anymore. But there was an unspoken agreement between them that no matter how long they'd gone without talking to one another, they could always pick up the phone and call each other day or night when they needed help.

"Rory? What's wrong?" Paris asked, knowing Rory's tone of voice. Something was definitely up.

"I saw Logan. He came to my office and his company is doing some kind of merger with the Times," Rory quietly said. She was met with silence on the other line. "Paris? Hello? You there?"

"Logan. Logan Huntzberger? Good for nothing shithead of the millennium Huntzberger? Logan who dumped you for some bimbo? The Logan that—"

Rory quickly cut her off, "Yes! That one."

"Wow."

"Yeah I know, wow."

"So what are you going to do? What are you thinking?" Paris then went on to ask the tough questions.

"I don't know that's why I called you. I'm so frustrated and so confused! And not to mention angry that Finn, Colin, and Stephanie hadn't told me he was here in New York," Rory began but was stopped by Paris.

"Whoa hold on. Finn, Colin, and Stephanie? What about them? Okay you know what, you had better start from the very beginning." Rory started explaining her meeting with Finn and also the events that happened with her mother before her time in San Francisco. In the end, Paris was shocked.

"Gilmore, you know we had better start calling each other on a regular basis. My brain can't take all of the information overload here," Paris was still in shock at all the events that have happened. She knew about John and their engagement, who including the boys and Steph, didn't like very much, but Rory's fight with Lorelai was all new to her.

"Okay deal. Anyways, I don't know what I'm going to do," Rory said once again.

"What do you mean? What is there to do? You say you're over Logan right? So there really shouldn't be any problem with you acting civil towards him. Unless…" Paris trailed off, hoping that Rory would take the bait.

"Unless what?" Bingo.

"Unless you're still not over him and you harbor some kind of undying love for Logan Huntzberger," Paris said in one fast breath.

"No." Rory stated flatly outright.

"You wouldn't be this confused, frustrated, or mad about this situation of seeing him for the first time in nearly three years. But something is getting to you."

"Paris that's ridiculous. I've moved on. I've got a great fiancé and my career is going very well. I'm done with Huntzberger. Maybe confused isn't the right word. I think I'm probably more surprised," the uncertainty in Rory's voice was definitely noticed by Paris.

"Then why did you call me in a panic?"

"I wasn't in a panic," Rory said indignantly.

"Okay then. Sadness."

"Hey I'm just trying to keep you informed of some of the things that's going on in my life."

"Riiiight," Paris didn't buy it for one second. Truth of the matter was, no matter how much of an asshole Logan is, eighty percent of her felt that he was still better than marrying John Astor. Paris knew all about Logan's sudden engagement to some girl in London. However, she wasn't stupid. She was just as much part of society as the next socialite and knew there was some kind of business dealing going on. After all, she didn't believe anyone was capable of falling out of love that fast, not even for Logan. Nevertheless, he had badly hurt one of her best friends and for that, she could never forgive him. Even though Paris hardly ever saw Rory, she still noticed the changes in her ever since her break up with Logan and her relationship with John.

There was very little she could say to Rory about her disapproval with John. On one hand, Rory moved on (or so she tried to show) with a man who was wealthy and handsome, but on the other, the man was irritating and most likely saw Rory as some sort of prize. Paris didn't want to be one of the many who cared about Rory and didn't approve of her choice for a fiancé. So, Paris kept her mouth shut with all matters concerning her relationship with John Astor. Rory needed all the supporters she could get in her close circle of family and friends.

"Are you going to be able to come to the city to visit anytime soon? It's been way too long since we've last seen each other. I even miss Doyle!"

"Hopefully soon. Still got lots of work to do with the med school gig out here," Paris responded, knowing that Rory was trying to change the subject. Paris was currently doing med school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Doyle was currently working for a Baltimore paper. She and Doyle were living together but no thoughts of marriage had risen just yet. With Paris's drive to become the leading heart surgeon in the nation, maybe even the world, there was no time for marriage. However, Doyle was confident that after all of the stress and hard work of med school then internships and residencies, Paris would seriously consider the subject of marriage. Of course, since she wore the pants in the relationship, there was no doubt in Doyle's mind that Paris will be the one to bring it up first.

"Okay well try to visit soon."

"Will do. And Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Talk to him. Get it over it. I know you're not only stewing about seeing him again but also about your breakup."

Rory sighed resignedly, "I know. I just have to give it a little bit of time before trying to delve into the hard stuff. I mean, I just saw him today."

"Alright but when you do…give him hell, not only from you but from me too."

Rory chuckled. Paris was still protective and Rory wouldn't have asked her to change otherwise.

"Bye Paris."

Rory hung up the phone just as her apartment came in sight. She really didn't want to think about this situation anymore. All she wanted was to grab dinner and forget this whole entire day ever happened. She opened her phone and dialed yet another familiar number. She was disappointed when it went to his voicemail.

"You have reached John Astor. Please leave your name and phone number and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible."

Rory rolled her eyes. She's been trying to get him to change his voicemail greeting, saying it was too serious but John would just say that he had all kinds of business people calling him on that phone line. Rory unwillingly remembered Logan's voicemail when they were together.

"_Hey this is Logan. Can't come to the phone right now…probably chasing Finn around, trying to get him to put his clothes back on. Anyways leave a message and I'll see what I can do about calling you back."_

"Hey honey. Let's go out to dinner tonight. I've had a long day. Elaine's sound good? I could really use some steak so call me back…" Rory hesitated before saying, "I love you."

Rory reached the front doors of her building.

"Good evening Miss Gilmore," the doorman greeted her with a warm smile.

"Evening Albert."

Rory got into the elevators and rode up to her apartment on the 10th floor. She opened her apartment doors and took a look around at the mess she created. She and John decided that they would move in together before they got married to the townhouse he inherited from his family on the Upper East Side. Townhouse was probably an understatement. It was just like the house from Cruel Intentions only slightly bigger.

There were boxes everywhere with all the things she had accumulated over the years. She followed the trail of boxes which led to her room. In the far corner was the box she tried not to look at. The Logan box. She didn't know what to do with it. Half of her wanted to burn the whole entire box while the other half wanted to keep it. No matter how their relationship ended, she couldn't deny the fact that some of the most memorable things that has ever happened to her happened when they were together. Also, there was one other reason why she was thinking about getting rid of it. John didn't know about the Logan box. Hell, she didn't even know if he knew the full story of the saga that was her and Logan. The subject somehow never came up, just in passing when she and John may have mentioned past relationships. There was no doubt in her mind that John knew something of her past relationship with Logan. After all, she and Logan came from high society. However, John wasn't exactly the 'let's sit down and hash up the past' kinda guy. Rory knew that John wasn't a playboy. He had one-night stands in college but nothing compared to Logan. From the very start, John knew of his responsibilities and took to them like a good heir. Nonetheless, when Rory mentioned Logan, John didn't probe. Unbeknownst to Rory, John knew more about her past relationship with Logan than he was letting on.

Instead of looking at the box, Rory eyed her bed and how inviting it looked. She fell on it thinking she was just going to close her eyes for a few minutes. The events of the day have really worn her down. An hour had passed and her front door opened. John had let himself in, having a key of his own. He had called Rory after he heard her voice mail. When she didn't pick up, he decided to drop by her apartment. He heard the tone in her voice and knew something was off. He spotted her on the bed, fully clothed and lying on her side. He took a moment to look at her. She had bags under her eyes and she was wearing a frown. Even then, he admired her classic beauty. John had made dinner reservations at 9:30. He looked at the bedside clock and saw they only had half an hour before they had to get there.

John walked towards her bed and laid down beside her, wrapping his arms around her. Rory began to stir when she felt familiar arms around her waist. She turned around to face John and gave him a half smile.

"Hey. Tired?" John asked as he shifted to lie on his back, taking Rory with him.

Rory snuggled to his well-defined chest and said, with sleep still evident in her voice, "It's been a long day. Did you get my voice mail?" John nodded his head. "Reservations?"

"9:30," that was one thing Rory loved about John. She rarely had to ask him twice to do anything and he always took command of a situation, no matter how small, like making reservations. This is what Rory had been trying to get people to see. John was considerate and he knew how to take care of her. Rory gave him a smile and hugged him even tighter.

"Something wrong? You sounded a little off when you left me your voice mail." Rory was surprised that he caught on to the tone of her voice. Once again, he proved to her that he was caring and knew her just as well as some of her friends she's known for years.

Rory was thinking of a small pros and con list in her head of telling him what has been bugging her all day. She finally thought _'to hell with it.'_

"I just saw Logan Huntzberger today," Rory said quietly. While she thought John didn't know much about her past, she had told him of their breakup and his engagement. But never anything more than that.

"What?" John's hand, which had been running up and down her back, stilled.

"Yeah. Huntzberger Publishing and the Times just had a merger. I had to go to the meeting."

John was quickly running through everything he knew about Logan. The last news he heard of him, he was still in London and still married. Maybe it was time to call a source and get an update on Huntzberger. "Was it awkward? I mean that was the first time you've seen him since your breakup," John tried to keep any emotion out of his voice but really, he was running laps around his brain. What was Huntzberger doing back in New York? Maybe it was just for a short visit.

This time, it was Rory who stilled. For John to initiate anything concerning Logan was strange. She was wondering how far into this conversation she should delve into.

"Umm, you know. It was definitely strange and a bit unnerving but I got through the meeting without having to talk to him. Hey I'm gonna go change into something else. These clothes are feeling a little constricting," and with that, Rory avoided going in any deeper. She got up and went to her walk-in closet to find something else to wear.

"Alright I'll be waiting in the living room," John walked out of her bedroom and closed the door. He definitely noticed how uncomfortable she became. He instantly pulled his cell phone out and called someone who should know what was going on.

"Hello?"

"Hey Adam, it's John. Listen I want to know if you know anything about Logan Huntzberger being in town," he whispered into the phone, not wanting Rory to hear anything. Adam was the go-to man for anything to do with the elite and their business (sometimes personal) lives. Adam worked in PR for his father's company. He was also John's cousin, another Astor. He was the one that informed John of everything he needed to know about Rory and Logan's relationship and their breakup. John couldn't believe that there were people out there who made it their business to know anything and everything about the high society set. He benefited from the information he was being given but at the same time, he hated to hear gossip and tended to ignore it.

"Funny, I wondered when you were going to call and ask. So Huntzberger is definitely back for good. Just moved back to New York City and completed a merger with the Times. Oh and…he and his wife just finalized their divorce," Adam said the last sentence in a rush. He was waiting for John's reaction and was surprised.

"Fuck!" John swore as quietly as he could. He was not the type of man to get jealous. He knew he had a lot going for himself and never had to worry about any woman he was seeing leave him for someone else. However, Huntzberger was a different story. From the sound of the things he had heard about Logan and Rory, their relationship was strong up until Mitchum sent him to London. Rory never let on how hurt she was but anytime anything was brought up about Logan, she got a clouded hue in her eyes and would shut up like a clam.

"Whoa. You're not worried are you? I mean c'mon, their relationship ended more than three years ago. You've got nothing to worry about, right?" Adam was amazed that John would even feel threatened.

"No of course not. However, this is Huntzberger we're talking about. I doubt he and Vanessa's marriage was because of romance. It's got business merger written all over it. I mean everyone in our circles know of the Lion and Huntzberger merger. For all I know, he could still be in love with Rory."

"Well what about Rory? Surely she would never go back to Huntzberger?"

"I don't think she would. It's mostly Huntzberger I'm worried about. I know about his reputation. Huntzberger and I may never have been chummy, hell even saw each other much, but I have no doubt in my mind that he will not hesitate to try and get Rory back if he's still in love with her. But I'll be damned if he succeeds," John vehemently scowled.

Rory finished getting ready, having put on a simple black dress and touching up her makeup. She came out of her bedroom to see John in what seemed to be a heated conversation in a low voice.

"John, I'm ready. Is everything okay?" Rory said and saw John turn around to face her, his face blank when he looked at her.

"Alright I'll get it all straightened out. Thanks for calling me," John quickly said into the phone. "Somebody fucked up at work and I have to take care of it tomorrow." And with that, they made their way out of the front door and to the waiting car outside, ready to drive them anywhere. After having dated Logan, Rory got accustomed to having a driver around. Like the Huntzberger's, John came from a long line of blue bloods. He had an impressive legacy as being part of the New York Astors. Rory grew more and more accustomed to the rich lifestyle. However, she felt that she still had the small town girl inside her and reminded herself of that fact often.

The ride to Elaine's was silent. Both Rory and John were thinking about the same person, though neither knew it. The car reached the restaurant and a man instantly opened the door of the car for them. John grabbed Rory's hand and led them to the restaurant. As soon as the hostess saw them both, they were immediately led to their favorite table. John and Rory were recognizable anywhere in Manhattan. John wouldn't even have needed to make a reservation to get a seat at a restaurant. Oh the advantages of having the right last name.

Rory didn't need to browse the menu for long. She already knew what she wanted. She looked at John who was perusing the menu and started some small talk, "So how was work? Anything exciting happen?"

"Not as exciting as your day, it seems," John responded without looking at her. Once again, Rory stilled and was taken by surprise.

'_What the hell is going on?' _Rory thought. This was turning out to be a weird night also. Was it her or was there a tinge of something indecipherable in John's voice? Jealousy? No way. He never got jealous.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rory asked without sounding so defensive.

"Oh nothing. Just hearing about Huntzberger was a bit strange. Haven't heard about him in a while. Last I heard of him was that he was still in London with his wife," John watched Rory over the menu and tried to act nonchalantly but wanted to gauge her reaction.

Rory turned her head so she was looking at something on the wall and didn't answer straight away. She was trying to think of the best way to approach the subject. She cleared her throat and started, "Yeah quite the surprise he's here. Didn't know he was going to be in New York." And she truly didn't know about it.

John saw the look on her face and knew she was telling the truth. Satisfied, he put his menu down sighed. He decided to continue on this conversation. Call him a sadist but he wanted to see her reaction to her old boyfriend and see just what she felt about him, "I heard he's newly divorced. Not surprising I have to say. A marriage like that was bound to fail."

At this point, all Rory wanted to do was end this conversation, order, eat, and get the hell out of there. However, she carefully controlled her emotions, a skill that was getting stronger. The waiter thankfully came by and automatically poured them glasses of the finest red wine, their usual. It gave Rory time to formulate a response to her liking, "Yes, so I've heard also. Finn, Colin, and Stephanie told me about it when I saw them in San Francisco. So they're all finally moved to New York. The old gang from Yale is back together again," Rory said the last part quietly. She took a long sip of her wine but did not look at John's eyes.

John studied her for a minute and also took a long sip of his wine. He didn't know how to react to the blank look on Rory's face. However, upon close examination of her eyes, he could tell there was more but didn't want to push it. So, in an effort to try and lighten the mood that became tense, John visibly relaxed his body and started talking about his day at work. Rory was only half listening, getting distracted by the fact that John had brought up Logan. Even more, Rory was curious on how her fiancé knew of Logan's divorce. She took another sip and dismissed it, knowing that news of Logan's divorce was a huge deal in their circle, especially since one of the biggest playboys of all time just became a bachelor again.

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_Okay so I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing. I know there wasn't any Logan but I just wanted to give you guys an idea of what John and Rory's relationship is like and more back drop before really getting down to the nitty-gritty stuff. Next update will be sooner than the last! Please review and give me some inspiration. _


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